LU WAS COUGHING, Ariah's eye balls looked like they were about to pop out of their sockets and Yaz...
Well, Yaz was yelling, "What!? Xaver Kirkgarde from zillionaire Kirkgarde family?"
Sreya nodded.
"Wait", Ariah interrupted, "Zillionaire's a word?"
"Yes", Yaz, Sreya and Luna chorused. And Yaz turned back to Sre, anxious to drill her for more juicy info, "How on earth did you guys meet? Press Conference?"
They were both public figures.
"Uhm. His grandmother, Edith. She's a patient at the hospital. Alzheimer's".
"And?" Luna rolled her eyes. They needed to know how not why.
"Okay. We were first introduced in the hospital by the doctor taking care of Edith. Richard, remember him?"
The trio nodded eagerly. They'd met Richard once or twice when they'd come to the hospital for purposes far fro
XAVER DIALED HIS little sister's number for the thousandth time that day, cursing under his breath as his fingers worked feverishly at his black tie.As expected, Dinah Kirkgarde didn't pick up. Again.Gnashing his teeth, Xaver tugged the tie loose and hit the call button, mentally calculating the long hours to Kruz—the city where Dinah lived—and back to Verum City.She answered on the third ring."Shut up. Facetime" and she hung up right before she facetimed him.A face that looked so much like his mother's lit up his screen and Xaver opened his mouth to chastise her for not answering any of his calls when she sent him the sweetest smile and let out an excited, "Xaver Elliot Gregory Kirkgarde! How long has it been?" Then she frowned, "Your nose is just as ugly as it was four months ago. You should be thankful Crystal agreed to marry you with your nose looking
TEACHING A GROWN ass man how to bake chocolate chip cookies by 3 in the morning was not on Sreya Dronian's bucket list but here she was rolling the already mixed dough between her palms to form a medium-sized ball with Xavier by her side.After a few minutes, she was done, "Now we're going to pop these bad boys into the fridge and let them cool for an hour", Sre finished as she lifted the tray from the counter and slid the metallic piece into the refrigerator.Coming back to the counter, she wiped her hands on an orange coloured kitchen rag and ordered Xavier to the nearest kitchen chair beside the counter as she began to clean up the broken egg shells, spilled flour, stained spatula and tainted glass mixing bowls.Humming Gretta Harlow's Foreign almost inaudibly beneath her breath, Sreya allowed cold water from the tap pierce and lodge between the wefts of the soft fabric of her kitchen rag before using it
Years ago in Tales^°^Sreya felt like a Century had made an appearance and gone. It was always dark and cold. And when the darkness was disturbed by the dizzy rays of the candlelight, he was always there... Touching her, touching himself, scanning the faded pages of his small bible...burning his flesh. He wasn't giving her the numbing shots anymore. Sreya wanted him to. She didn't want to feel what he was doing. She hated that her body responded every time. Her flesh, a traitor to her mind. She was able to move a little at least but involuntary abstinence from food for a while barely allowed her the luxury. A little wiggle of her pinky finger, and that was it.She knew what her captor was doing by refraining from shooting the usual daily fluid i
"DO I GET to meet her today?"Xaver frowned "Who?"Dinah rolled her eyes, "Crystal doesn't make you glow like that".They were currently in the parking lot of the Hospital where Edith was being taken care of and Dinah was tense as hell. Her heartbeat was echoing loudly in her ears and the salad she'd munched two hours before the current moment seemed to be back in her mouth. She was going to throw up.Within minutes, they'd shuffled into the building and were soon inside the elevator. Every step they took brought them closer to their grandmother and Dinah trembled as she held back tears. Her mother had done a good job teaching her how to mask her emotions and act calm and calculated. When Xaver took her hand, she knew he saw right through her facade. He and Brandon always seemed to know exactly how she felt every moment even if she looked as cheerful as her ten years old self ripping open presents for Chri
WHILST THE LONG hand of the clock kissed six and the short hand hugged seven, Xaver was chopping onions on a wooden chopping board as Dinah watched."She should be here any minute", he muttered. He wanted the food to be ready before she arrived but he doubted he'd be able to achieve that."And you're cooking at the pace of a snail. I'd help you but I'm tired""Yeah, for doing absolutely nothing" Xaver reprimanded as he expertly dumped the chopped onions into hot oil. A roaring sizzle echoed throughout the kitchen and Dinah sniffed as she put a cubed pineapple in her mouth.Her nose was runny from all the crying in the hospital. You'd think it'd have stopped by now. She'd left Edith a mucus and make up stained shirt to remember her by. Except, she won't. Sigh.Dinah shut her eyes and moaned as her favourite fruit melted on her tongue, exploding into sweetness, "Mmmm. Ugh. Pineapples are God
Years ago in Tales ^°^He did not come that day. Nor the day before that. Sreya was relieved. And thirsty. Taking a deep breath that set her lungs on fire, she swung her feet off the table at the tempo of a sloth and tried to sit up as hunger gnawed at the walls of her empty stomach with a fury that was devilishly dizzying in its intensity. Pains from sporadic contractions of her long inactive muscles flooded Sreya's body causing her to release a groan that was a little too loud, pursuing it with a wince and a curse. With ragged breathing, low moans and quivering lips, she nursed the very undesired contractions till t
SHOVING THE MEMORIES of her achingly sour past to the back of her mind, Sreya smiled, hoping with all her heart that it reached her eyes before telling the story of her childhood, the Father she never met but heard about, her twin brothers and the beautiful yet astonishing way the people of Tales worked together to take care of their own....a fact Sreya believed was only possible because of the diminutive population. As she spoke, Dinah's searching silver grey eyes wandered across Sre's face and for a fleeting moment, Sreya wondered if she had Xaver's eccentric ability to see right through her.She was never to find out if the Kirkgrade sibling possessed the same mastery becausethe gorgeous woman looked past her and murmured softly, dreamily, "It must have been nice growing up in such a place".And it had been nice...For a while..."Why did you leave?"The air-condition in
XAVER'S CYAN EYES softened as they scanned Sreya's long lashes, slightly freckled nose and her wickedly ravishing full mouth as she slept peacefully beside him. Her breathing even.It'd almost been a week since Dinah travelled but Verum City would have still felt her presence if Brandon wasn't so obsessed with her."You know I won't miss Sreya's grand introduction to Clara for the world", his sister had said as the damp Monday breeze greedily lapped at her hair. The golden blonde strands danced, effortlessly swaying to the beat of the unyielding wind . She was going to be flying privately to Kruz, as Brandon preferred. Personally, she did not care much. She just wanted to get in the plane and curl on the wide comfortable bed with golden sheets, she tired quite easily these days.Completely aware of the brazen excitement in sharp grey eyes concealed by large sunglasses, Xaver replied with amusement, "You're only sayin
"HOW MANY TIMES a day do pregnant women have mood swings?" Xaver inquired as he loosened the death grip his black tie had on his windpipes. Currently, he was seated in his car, outside his residence. The golden face that filled his screen frowned, "A gazillion times, why?" Xaver ignored her question, "Causes?" She lifted her thumb as she began to count, "Fatigue, anxiety, little to no sleep, hormones, et cetera" Xaver frowned. His wife wasn't anxious or sleep deprived so it must be the hormones? Or fatigue because she's always tired these days. "Any remedies for fast results?" Dinah wasted no time, "Exercise. Sweets. Stifling attention. Amazing foot rubs and body massages" Exercise. Check. Stifling attention. Check. Amazing foot rubs and body massages. Check. Sweets... Sounded like a bad idea. He's actually been m
{Freedom}XAVER'S CARE FOR speed limits flew out the window as he sped down tarred road, wheels racing towards John Bernards Hospital.He'd been working up a sweat in the gym when he'd gotten a call that Sreya was in the hospital, alive but unconcious. A humongous wave of icy relief had washed over him from head to toe, cooling his agitated mind and frantic nerves. He hadn't even bothered to take a shower, he'd only pulled a black shirt over his head and threw on jeans before running to his car. At least she was alive, she was all right... But was her mind okay? Would she be strong enough to pull through the trauma a second time? Will her heart be brave enough to heal like it'd done once?
IN THE IMMURING darkness, the private detective took an incredibly long drag of his cigar, upper eyelids drifting close as he felt the smoke heat his lungs and sheath his whole body in a buzzing satisfactory warmth.Sitting in his aweary Toyota, Gary ignored the harsh bite of the incredibly cold air on his nose and cheeks as he warmed his body from within. Gazing outside his window, he let his eyes roam the abandoned, crumbling building that had once been a mental asylum.The towering, desolate edifice illuminated by the faint, silver beams of the moon seemed ghostlier and more haunting than Gary remembered. As a long trail of dark smoke from his cigar ascended towards the pitch-black sky, he recalled the little he'd read about the deinstitutionalization of the yawning, tardily disintegrating building before him.Years ago, on a date that eluded him—Gary wasn't good with dates—th
Abused*:*Three weeks... It's been three weeks. Sreya's been counting. Every part of her exposed flesh was submerged in excruciating pain, so much so that it hurt to breathe. She felt weak and terribly drowsy.. As though, with each day that passed, she drew closer and closer to the stygian, dark gates of death. On some days, she came so close she could smell the rusty metal and taste it if she dared stick out her tongue.. But on days like this.. She realized that as much as she'd love to ecstaticly welcome her demise and surcease her suffering, she still had memories of Xaver, the girls and her family to keep her strong. She missed them so much and there was literally nothing she won't give to be with them at this moment. In the silence, the shrill
GARY HUTCHINSON LOOKED round his office with tired eyes and stifled a yawn. It was 8:37PM on a Thursday night and he was beyond exhausted. On some days, being a private investigator left you with some time on your hands.. On other days.. It didn't.Absentmindedly, he reached for the tumbler sitting beside his open laptop, swirling the yellowish liquid inside as he studied the picture of the young woman in front of him.Sreya Dronian. The Kirkgardes were willing to pay triple the price he'd normally charge if he could find her presto. The relationship between the doctor and the only heir to the Kirkgarde family fortune and business was roaringly overt and owing to this, their desperation failed to spark his surprise.Also, he wanted that money as much as he wanted to visit one of the best brothels in Verum City and soak himself inside a warm, willing body. Normally, Gary schedules his vis
PunishedΔ•ΔHe was... furious. Sreya could tell. From the sharp whooshing sounds of the whip slashing through the air, the explosive stinging, itchy sensation on her back and her broken flesh tinged with blood... She could tell.The candles were burning low again, casting scary silhouettes on the walls like they usually do. Through bloodshot eyes, she could make out series of ropes hanging on the wall..some, a little thinner than the others.. Sreya thought they bore an uncanny resemblance to BDSM tools.
LUCAS WAS LOST in thought, the paperwork on his desk already forgotten. He wasn't sure if it was the fact that Clara'd come in wearing a flimsy robe with nothing beneath or if it was her sexual, intoxicating scent that still lingered but he found himself on a trip down memory lane.They used to be so happy. So content. It'd been a hassle getting someone as terribly strong-minded as Clara to trust him fully but he'd succeeded and it'd been bliss.. A part of him still harbored hope that someday.. They'd be as happy as they'd once been but with every passing month that his wife barely glanced at him unless under public scrutinization.. Lucas watched the tiny ray of the light of hope at the end of the tunnel dim. Suddenly realizing he wasn't alone, blue eyes shifted to the door and he could swear his heartbeat picked up
CLARA KIRKGARDE LISTENED to the audible, oddly calming pitter-patter of raindrops on the windows as she proceeded to gently apply a layer of moisturizing lotion on her face.She was currently seated in front of her vanity, grey eyes trained on the mirror as slender hands made quick work of running a shiny paddle brush over her hair. When she was done, she dropped the hair detangler on the dressing table and embarked on the short journey to her bed. Relieving her naked flesh of the rose gold robe she'd been clad in, she shimmied under an immaculate white duvet and sighed in pleasure at the enveloping warmth and soothing softness. She yawned tiredly, eyelids slamming shut as she tried to sleep..But slumber evaded her and In less than a nanosecond, her mind
A WEEK AND a half.That's how long Sreya's been missing. That's how long he hasn't left his house. That's how long he hasn't shaved. That's how long he's not been answering calls or text messages. That's how long he's been.. Drinking.He looked like shit. And felt like shit.Dazed, he slowly swirled the golden liquid in his tumbler. Now, usually.. Xaver'd never turn to liquor whilst grieving. Matter of fact, it annoyed him when people did that but... You know when you're told never to judge other people until you've been in their position? Until you've walked in their shoes? You really shouldn't. Because.. He now understood why people turned to liquor. It kinda helps with the pain.. Numb it a little... Or it makes you think it's helping your pain.. And he needed that deception right now. Badly.His lips curling into a sad small smile, h